[no audio]>> benedict the 16th reps of his final hours. here he is saying goodbye to the cardinals of the catholic church. >> in eight hours time, pope benedict xvi will no longer be head of the catholic church. >> you are watching al jazeera live from our headquarters. a special tribunal in bangladesh sentences and islamic party leader to death for war crimes. pushing for the stalemate in syria. extra aid to opposition groups.

the private mission to mars. only married couples need apply. >> benedict xvi is fending his last -- spending his last few hours as pope. saying his final farewell to church cardinals right now. pope benedict is the first church leader in six centuries to step down. he says poor health has presented him -- has prevented him from continuing his term. what do we expect to happen? once he stands down, he will assume the new title pope emeritus. the vatican says he will continue to use his papal title rather than reverting to -- he will also have to change what he wears. the simple white people rope will remain. his ring and the papal seal,

they will be destroyed and the new ones will be forged when the next pope is appointed. in a sign of changing times, he will also need to give up his twitter handle. let's speak to barbara. no more tweaking for benedict. i just wonder how much of a tweeter he was. >> not much of one, although he had a lot of followers. 1.5 million or just under 2 million, something like that. he has only tweeted a handful of times. i don't think that was a particular media success as far as the vatican policy goes. hopefully the next pope will also start tweeting again, possibly a bit more frequently. we while, this pope is engaged in his last duty as pontiff, beating the cardinals, really a last goodbye before he leaves the vatican -- meeting the cardinals, really the last goodbye before he leaves the vatican. he will be getting on a

helicopter at 4:00 gmt, saying a final farewell to people who will undoubtedly have gathered there. and that is it. gmt, he will no longer be the leader of the catholic church. that does not mean that no one is leading the vatican. the effective secretary of state here at the vatican will have an interim role to make sure that everything is functioning until the election of the new pope, and that pope will probably decide if and how to reassign the various roles here, in the civil service. >> so pope benedict will become pope emeritus. what does that title actually mean? will he have a senior role to play at all? >> not actually going to have a role as such. the title itself is an honorary role, expected of someone who

has merited respect, someone who steps down from an important position, usually called emeritus. so pope emeritus, that is the title itself and it means that he will be awarded the respect, although it will be a very interesting times because effectively you will have a new pope, and the next pope still at the vatican. he has made it very clear that he will not try to make the most of that position. he said that he has vowed obedience to the next pope, so it will be an interesting combination, of course one that we really have not seen before because as we all know by now, this is the first papal resignation in 600 years. >> interesting times. thank you very much indeed. now, a war crimes tribunal in bangladesh has sentenced a leading member of the opposition islamic party to death. he was found guilty of leading a

mass killing, rapes, in the 1971 war of independence. he was also charged with can -- with forcing minority hindus to convert to islam. at least five people have been killed in clashes with the police in recent weeks, and there have been protesters -- protests for and against the tribunal. it is said the charges are politically motivated. >> it is a political set up revealed by -- there was a collision between government and the prosecutors and the investigation. so it has been proved that, due to the collision, the government -- it is not due to the fact that he has committed any crimes. it is due to that he is the

leader of the largest political party of bangladesh. >> mr. shall leave, you have a problem now, predicting that this could lead to civil war? >> they have committed civil war in 1971 during our liberation war. but indivisible from islam, mainly the caliphates, they were booked into that war by their mentor, the pakistanis. >> the legislative process has taken place now. you can see why they are agreed. the tribunal is found to be well short of international standards by the likes of amnesty international and human rights. you can see why they agree. >> according to whom? anglo -- has a legal system working over

300, 400 years. -- bangladesh has a legal system working over 300, 400 years. those who are concocting stories about the system are trying to fool the western world. sorry for those who lend -- >> let's look at the various points they make. given the fact that the main judge resigned because he was sharing confidential information, even the fact that a key defense witness was abducted, should you be hanging a man on this basis? >> all these are stories by the defense people. every time a criminal is caught , he and his -- they start talking about how he is innocent. that does not sway the law. >> the main judge resigned.

>> it is not true that, in the way you put it. the way it is is that he is an honorable person. he decided that if somebody else takes his place, then the justice he would be met with would be more up to the standard of the world. if we have criminals in our country, like you have criminals in this country, they will be treated as they should be treated according to the law of the land. >> nevertheless, we come back to my first point, that we have a difficult situation in bangladesh right now. >> it is not a difficult situation. 43 years ago, the crimes that were committed -- i am a freedom fighter, i know what they are doing. i have seen thousands and thousands, in fact 10 people had

to flee the country. their houses, i have seen. not even houses, these were done by -- the only thing that should be done, they should be tried, that has been done. they will be met with the right kind of punishment of the law, and we admit that. anybody who is saying -- >> we have to leave it there. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. >> india is announcing an unexpected rise in public spending ahead of elections with gdp down in recent years. new delhi is hoping to revive the economy. the budget also contains measures to cut the deficit, including new taxes on the superrich as well as large businesses. there will also be a large increase in defense spending, up by 21% to $42 billion. video has emerged of south

african police apparently trying -- tying a man to their van in dragging him through the streets of johannesburg. he later died in custody and is reported to be a 27-year-old taxi driver from mozambique. south african police watchdog says it is shocking and is being investigated. the west appears to be on the brink of ratcheting up support of opposition. john kerry is in rome for talks with other nations, and the us has decided to provide food to the rebels. european officials will meet next week to discuss military support for syrian people. are you hearing anything more yet? >> john kerry, who is here of course on his first major mission of his new job will be giving a press conference within the next few minutes, and we will hopefully hear a bit more

detail about what they have agreed. as he was suggesting, the reports at least are saying that the americans may go further than they have done before. they may even supply perhaps body armor, armored vehicles, maybe military training. that would mark a significant ratcheting up of the aid that they have been prepared to give the opposition in syria so far. >> to what degree is john kerry being put under pressure to come up with more action? >> he is under pressure from all sides, as you can imagine. there are the hawks in washington, as we know, who would like president obama to commit to arms supplies to the rebels. there are of course huge dangers there because there is always the risk those weapons might, given the chaos on the ground in syria, fall into more ruthless hands, people who

washington would not want to be supporting. but of course he is also under pressure from the opposition group itself in syria, who want more help. they would like arms, and of course they were threatening to carry through a boycott of this meeting. it only took some last-minute intervention by mr. kerry and william hague, the uk foreign minister, foreign secretary, who actually prevent that happening and for this meeting to be taking place here at all. yes, he is under pressure from all sides. >> tim, thanks very much indeed. we will see what happens in that press conference, coming up in the next few minutes. but the more still ahead. from handbags to heals to prison gear. >> i am in nairobi. reporting on how technology experts are using crowd sourcing

to pinpoint troublesome ports -- trouble spots around the country. >> tropical cyclone rusty has now been downgraded. the final warning has been issued. plenty of clouds coming out of that system, plenty of rain down in australia. to the far north of queensland, very big downpours here. well over 100 millimeters in 24 hours. it will stay very disturbed. notice, too, this area to the southeast. that is a problem maker. we have seen flooding in new south wales. the system will stay in the vicinity over the next couple of days, and we could easily see another 100, 1 hundred 20

millimeters over the next 24 to 36 hours. that is likely to cause problems. temperatures in sydney around 21 degrees celsius. the remnants of cyclone rusty, the possibility that it moves across the valley, but the wind certainly with no problems now. no problems with the weather across a good part of south asia. fine and dry here. 34 celsius. showers in sri lanka for the second half of the weekend. l "the flaw," coming this march

on link tv. >> this is al jazeera, and these are the stories making headlines. the pope has vowed unconditional obedience and

reverence to his successor third benedict will begin his retirement in just a few hours. a leading member of the jamaat as lonnie party--jamaat a islami party has been sentenced to death. the warhol saints ied -- international talks are underway in rome on the syrian conflict. the thai government has agreed to hold peace talks with rebels in the south of the country. it is the first time that they have agreed to negotiate with fighters from the national revolution front, and the insurgency against the thai government in 2004. more than 5000 people have been killed since then. scott hiler has more. >> they signed a memo of understanding and that they will

sit down and discuss -- a lot of these groups operate across the border. malaysia was involved as well. the prime minister there and the national security chairman in malaysia sat down with the national security chairman here in thailand, so they have had ongoing meetings. this is the first time they have engaged with one of these separatist group movements. there are a lot of questions around it, mainly because it is not just one group that leads the entire separatist movement. there are different groups, fractures even within those groups. the big question is, there is one leader at this table. where is the command and control center for the separatist movement, and how will that go forward with this peace process as things move on from the beginning of the signing of a framework for the process going ahead? >> heavy rain has flooded dozens of homes and businesses in queensland. the rain caused rivers to burst its banks for the third time in a month. powerlines are also damaged.

the rain is equivalent to 1.5 months worth in just 12 hours. african union forces have captured a strategic town of rebels. it is on the key route to mogadishu. osh about was using the town to plan attacks -- al-shabab was using the town to plan attacks. they are battling rebel fighters across somalia. >> support of the operation. no support of the operation at all. they have been collecting taxes, using the seaports and all that. we will not conform with those areas. civilians are now behind us. >> kenyans prepare for a presidential election on monday. technology played a role in inciting unrest in 2007, but

this time it is being used to do the opposite. more from nairobi. >> taking all the information that has been received and -- >> a group of young kenyans are training volunteers to use an application meaning "election." with it, people can anonymously report election related institute -- incidents with text messages or online. >> you are able to see what is going on around kenya, around the country. >> this sees the information into a map, into something called crowd sourcing. that is when a large number of people are used as sources to provide the best information possible. >> only the best information makes it here. there is a lot of propaganda going on, and you have to be careful not to deceive the public. >> for the first time in this election, the website can

monitor and curb any hate language online. around 40% of kenyans have access to the internet, but most people still communicate on their phones. following the last election, hate speech was spread by sms. but new legislation means that all sim card users must be registered. people sending out those kinds of messages, they are unlikely to do so if they can be traced. people can check the status of their voting registration. the actual voting process uses electronic social recognition and biometric data. everyone can observe the results coming in. >> local media, we are in agreement with them. we are able to see the results when they come in in real time. the era of changing results when it comes comes to nairobi is over. >> lessons have been learned

since the last election when technology was used to spread fear and hatred. now the same technology can hold the key to a free and fair election. >> south korea says the north has been increasing its military training. pyongyang threatened out to zero with what it called final -- north korea with what it called -- >> can john on has recently visited four military units successively and showed off his capacity of provocation. >> around 100 people are suffering from hiv and hepatitis c testing around china's ministry of health. demonstrators are demanding compensation over tainted blood transfusions in the 1990's. it affected -- it infected thousands. mexico's president says he will be working with the teachers union to improve the education

system in the country. he is also promising not to interfere in the investigation against the union boss, who has been arrested and charged with embezzling $150 million from the union. >> the process that will follow is strictly legal. spotting to evidence of probable illicit movement and the concealing of resources from the national union of education workers. the resources of unions are of members, not of the directors. they should be used to the benefits of their workers. the action by the attorney general of the republic is in defense of teachers and their assets. >> she was seen as a hurdle in the president's have to education reform. as john reports, there were concerns over the timing of her arrest. >> the most powerful women in mexico has gone from patron of presidents to prison cell. it was an order approved at the

highest level. >> the process that will follow is strictly legal. expecting -- responding to evidence of the government and the consuming of resources by the national union of education workers. the resources of unions are of members, not of the directors. they should be used to the benefits of their workers. the action by the attorney general of the republic is in defense of teachers and their assets. >> for 24 years, teachers union lo haselba esther gordil run the most powerful trade union. >> she is an example of how the system has been corrupted, and that harms education in mexico immensely. >> mexicans simply know her as the maistra, the teacher. now she is charged with

embezzling union funds for plastic surgery, a private plane, and a $2 million shopping spree. teachers are hired for life by the union. there are no teacher evaluations, and when they are done, they can sell -- the main person blocking reform has been la maistra. a date before the reforms, -- the president has signed in reforms. that may be time to stop gordil lo from overturning policies. >> she was arrested just before holding a national congress that she intended to start mobilizing people around -- to stop mobilizing people around the country. >> gordillo is widely credited with electing presidents of both parties. in december came to party's pa neto. >> if they want to get you,

they do, anyway they can. you cannot escape. they will put you in jail. but unfortunately, if you cannot prove that she did anything wrong, they should release her. >> jailed and unable to wield a voice for two decades, spoken for 1.5 million teachers. >> riot police in colombia have fired tear gas at coffee growers upset at the prices for their crops. the government has offered to talk, but mainly the protesters -- but mainly if the protesters with their roadblock. the us president will meet congressional leaders on friday, the same day $85 billion of spending cuts are due to take effect. a rock obama says the cuts harm the american economy of congress fails to avoid them. he has asked democrats and republicans to come up with a deal. >> the issue is not technical,

it is political. the question is whether or not we are going to see a willingness on the part of all parties to compromise. any meaningful way. and what that means is democrats have to accept the need for entitlement reform. but it also means that republicans have to accept the need for additional revenues if we are going to be able to actually close this deficit. >> a program for afghan street children risks being shut down. the center provides education for children with -- but european funding runs out next month, and the afghan government is refusing to fill the gap. >> in this children, a lot of help -- and a lot of children need help and support. it would like some hope for the

future. of the children. some of the children are in the city and they are waiting for our program. they will lose their hope. >> i don't feel comfortable when i am working on the street because of the pollution and dust. i feel much more comfortable here. they teach us to work and study. i prefer to be here than on the streets. >> are you prepared to boldly go where no married couple has gone before? a multimillionaire former space tourist is looking for a husband and wife team to send to mars. would 501 days in a small space capital -- a small space capital, the final frontier, go too far? >> dennis tito is embarking on a major mission. he is the driving force to send a husband and wife team up for a close encounter with mars in 2018 when the red planet and earth are historically close together. >> this is a challenging but attainable goal for advancing

human experience and knowledge. now is the time. >> tito was the first space tourist, paying russians $20 million to vacation on the international space station in 2001. his inspiration mars program is a not-for-profit to raise millions for the flight and